The following text is adapted from Jane Austen's 1814 novel Mansfield Park. The speaker, Tom , is considering staging a play at home with a group of his friends and family. We mean nothing but a little amusement among ourselves , just to vary the scene and exercise our powers in something new.We want no audience , no publicity . We may be trusted, I think, in choosing some play most perfectly unexceptionable;and I can conceive no greater harm or danger to any of us in conversing in the elegant written language of some respectable author than in chattering in words of our own. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text? A) To offer Tom's assurance that the play will be inoffensive and involve only a small number of people B) To clarify that the play will not be performed in the manner Tom had originally intended C) To elaborate on the idea that the people around Tom lack the skills to successfully stage a play D) To assert that Tom believes the group performing the play will be able to successfully promote it

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the text. The speaker, Tom, is discussing the idea of staging a play at home with a group of friends and family. He emphasizes that they are not seeking any audience or publicity and that they will choose a play that is "most perfectly unexceptionable."<br /><br />## Step 2<br />Next, we need to analyze each of the given options in relation to the text.<br /><br />### Option A<br />This option suggests that Tom is assuring that the play will be inoffensive and involve only a small number of people. This aligns with Tom's emphasis on choosing an unexceptionable play and that they want no audience.<br /><br />### Option B<br />This option suggests that the play will not be performed in the manner Tom had originally intended. However, there is no indication in the text that Tom had a different intention for how the play should be performed.<br /><br />### Option C<br />This option suggests that Tom is elaborating on the idea that the people around him lack the skills to successfully stage a play. However, Tom does not mention the skills of the people around him, but rather focuses on the choice of the play and the lack of audience.<br /><br />### Option D<br />This option suggests that Tom believes the group performing the play will be able to successfully promote it. However, Tom explicitly states that they want no audience and no publicity.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Based on the analysis, option A is the most accurate representation of the main purpose of the text.